While working on electrical circuits it occurred to me that I had not posted a photo of something I use often. This is from an old appliance cord where I separated the wires and cut the hot and neutral ones, leaving me with the ground to which I attached a spade connector (easy to attach alligator clip). Anywhere I go in the RV I have easy access to a ground.
I'm sure I'm not the first to do this, but I haven't seen it posted and thought it might be useful.
If you replicate this, be sure that you won't be able to contact the two cut wires, since they will be live. Mine are recessed in their coverings, so it works for me. If you cut the wires flush with the back of the plug and then push it in with your thumb you won't be happy.
You're not the first but it took me years to figure that out.
Thanks.
It's foolproof safe with the positive and neutral prongs cut off the plug, using just the ground prong.
It's a little pricey, but this tool has solved many problems for me and fixed 3 coaches at the Q this year.
Amazon.com: Power Probe PP319FTCW/PPLS01: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Probe-PP3LS01-Red-Circuit_Testers/dp/B007QV0R7W/ref=pd_lpo_263_t_0/135-3322825-6653324?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B007QV0R7W&pd_rd_r=af8e9f5c-d789-4560-a742-66d93412e588&pd_rd_w=82VNq&pd_rd_wg=D0EDd&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=DFCJEMESAKKVF5RZ6785&psc=1&refRID=DFCJEMESAKKVF5RZ6785)
Great thread, thank you to all for their input. Craneman, your recommendation is on my list of tools to get when I return to the US. I see where this would be used often by me, both saving time and it's ability over just a multi meter. I am posting the following video as it shows where just a simple multimeter and knowledge would have saved this 24 year old drag car (Escalade, 2,000 HP) driver with his new to him rv some heartache (both time and $$$).
At 25 seconds in, he voices that he read on line a loss of power to the ECM often causes his failure. A voltmeter would have helped diagnose this issue. The first tech at 3:30 guesses that it is bad fuel pump. The second tech finds no power at ECM at 9:30 in to the video.
https://youtu.be/NX2bDuNz5aA
This is a video of some of its uses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzfCOlA1Vw